ASBO: A Novel of Extreme Terror(71)

As if reading his mind, the car began to slow down, the growl of the engine deepening as the revs lowered. Andrew gripped the knife tighter, his only hope of salvation.

The car came to a full stop and jolted as the handbrake was applied by its operator. Andrew didn’t know for sure that it was Dom driving the car, but he couldn’t see it being anybody else.

Andrew’s body tensed like a coiled spring as the driver’s door opened and someone stepped out. The weight of the car shifted, rocking back and forth before settling again. The ground crunched beneath the feet of the driver and Andrew could sense the footsteps approaching the boot.

Andrew held the knife out in front of him and waited.

Seconds passed by.

The boot did not open.

Andrew’s nose picked up the scent of something – something acrid, gaseous.

His ears picked up the sound of liquid, splashing and pouring.

His mind put the two things together.

Petrol. The psychopath is going to burn me alive. He can’t do this!

Of course he can. I stabbed his brother to death.

Mortal fear seized Andrew in a grip so fierce that it may have belonged to the Grim Reaper himself. Some part of him had already resigned himself to the possibility of dying tonight, but being burned alive was something else entirely.

He kicked out at the boot lid and yelled, trying to reason with the person about to burn him alive. It was no use, though, and the petrol continued to pour, seeping through the gaps in the vehicle’s bodywork and finding its way onto Andrew’s clothing and making his eyes sting. He tried to figure a way out before it was too late, frantically clawing at his surroundings. Each of the four walls was flat and featureless – nothing to grab hold of – but eventually Andrew’s hands caught against something above him. It was the locking mechanism for the boot. He fiddled with the contraption but could make no sense of it in the dark. All he could think to do was stab at it with his knife. The blade lodged into the plastic covering and stuck. Andrew pulled it out and stabbed again. And again.

Again.

Again.

Petrol continued to soak through into the boot.

He stabbed again, this time harder.

Eventually, part of the casing began to come away, revealing the lock fittings inside. Andrew reached his frantic fingers into the gap and snatched at anything he could find in the dark. He pulled and prodded, hoping beyond all hope to find a way out.

Something clicked.

A sliver of light entered the boot space and Andrew felt his heart leap into his chest. The person outside was still busy pouring petrol and didn’t seem to notice that the boot lid had opened a couple of inches.

Warily, Andrew edged the bonnet open further. He could see someone’s legs through the widening gap; they were lit by the car’s headlamps. Andrew took a deep breath and held it in his lungs until they began to ache. Then he unleashed his entire body, uncoiling like a striking cobra. His head and shoulders hit the boot lid and forced it open while his legs sprung out and launched him away from the car. He barrelled into his attacker and the two of them tumbled to the floor, landing in a heap. At some point during the fall, Andrew lost his knife, but he wasn’t deterred by the lack of a weapon. He shot up to his feet and managed to kick out at his attacker before they got a chance to reach their own feet. It was Dom, as he’d suspected. The teenager rolled over onto his side, cursing in pain and anger.

Andrew looked around and considered making a run for it. They seemed to be in a wood someplace. The cold rain, mixed with the late hour, made the whole area menacing like a scene from a horror film. If Andrew ran, he would probably end up lost and he couldn’t afford for that to happen. Besides, the time for running was over. Andrew had wanted Dom and now here he was.

“I’m going to kill you,” said Dom, rising to his feet, his jeans covered by mud.

Andrew shook his head. “Going to have to disagree with you there, blud.”

Dom rushed forward like a wild bull, even snorting like one. Andrew met the charge head on and the two collided in a brawl, fists flying back and forth. Dom got in a couple of crushing blows to Andrew’s chin, but Andrew was prepared to fight dirty and jammed a thumb into his opponent’s eye feeling it squelch.

Dom reeled backwards, swiping out blindly with both hands. Andrew seized the advantage and advanced forward. He grabbed the youth around the throat and kicked his legs out from under him. Dom hit the dirt on his back, twigs snapping beneath him. Andrew followed him down to the floor and continued to squeeze at his throat, throttling and choking while bearing down with all of his weight.